Ridgefield salt cave: Families taking part in growing therapy trend

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RIDGEFIELD - Sure, it looks like an ordinary storefront on a busy street in Ridgefield, but walk into the Saltana Cave and Spa to discover a dark, sparkling oasis where clients find peace, and some say health benefits from relaxing and breathing in salty air.

This spa and others like it are more common in Europe and are now popping up across the United States.

Owners of this spa experience claim the salt therapy, also called halotherapy, provides an alternative way to help people with respiratory ailments and skin conditions. Despite little scientific research in this country proving the health benefits of salt therapy, the experience is gaining a passionate following.

"I have COPD [chronic obstructive pulmonary disease] and I think the salt cave has helped me to not get worse," says Martha Campbell, a Ridgefield grandmother who frequents Saltana Cave and Spa. "I've sort of plateaued in the last few years."